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(SOURCE-TOI)

GOOD MORNING TELANGANA - RS OKAYS T BILL; PM ANNOUNCES SPL PACKAGE FOR SEEMANDHRA

New Delhi: Telangana crossed a major hurdle on the route to becoming Indias 29th state with Parliament approving the Bill to divide Andhra Pradesh in the face of repeated adjournments and continuous disruptions and sloganeering. It was 8.05 pm when Rajya Sabha deputy chair PJ Kurien finally declared the Bill is passed,setting off raucous celebrations among Telangana supporters in the House and in the Central Hall where Lok Sabha MPs from the region crowded around TV sets.The announcement was greeted with loud cheers in Hyderabad as Parliaments seal of approval makes the Telangana story practically irreversible as presidential assent and notification by gazette are expected to be matters of procedure with few variables.

Political jockeying over Telangana has seen the pendulum swing wildly with Congresss indecision putting the statehood proposal on the backburner for much of the 15th Lok Sabha,until the wheel turned afresh in the last few months.The bitter opposition of Seemandhra MPs,supported by some regional parties,led to extraordinary scenes with a cordon of Congress MPs shielding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday against aggressive Telangana opponents. In a first,tourism minister Chiranjeevi stood up to soundly criticize the Telangana decision for being forced upon the state a criticism of the council of ministers of which he is himself a part.

The suspense over the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Bill,2014,came to an end with the Prime Minister announcing a six-point development package for the successor state of Andhra Pradesh,including grant of special category status that provides for tax incentives to Seemandhra. As Singh rose to make his intervention,he was cordoned off by Congress MPs as members from Seemandhra region as also those from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena stormed the Well with TMC members even tearing papers and throwing them on the floor.

Congress president Sonia Gandhis request to the Prime Minister to give special category status to Seemandhra for five years seems to have apparently clinched the issue and brought BJP on board. I hope these additional announcements will demonstrate our steadfast commitment to not just the creation of Telangana but also to the continued prosperity and welfare of Seemandhra, Singh noted. He said special category status will be extended to the 13 Seemandhra districts,including the four districts of Rayalaseema and the three districts of north coastal Andhra,for five years.This will put the states finances on a firmer footing, the PM said in a written statement at the end of the discussion on the Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Pro-Telangana activists celebrate after Rajya Sabha passed the AP Reorganisation Bill,at Gun Park in city on Thursday      

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KCR harps on harmony,cagey about merger                                           

New Delhi: Minutes after the Rajya Sabha passed the Telangana Bill,an elated TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao said he would meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi in person and thank her for carving out the new state,but remained cagey about whether his party would merge with the Congress. Please do not ask me any questions today as it is not the occasion to talk about politics or further plans.I will be staying back in Delhi for a few more days and meeting Sonia and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to thank them for granting Telangana, the TRS chief told the media at his Tughlaq Road residence.

At his press conference on Thursday,KCR said now that two states are being formed both should develop in harmony.Hyderabad should grow as an international cosmopolitan city.So far,we have been squabbling.But now,the people of Seemandhra region are part of Hyderabad and so are the Telangana people.Let us work together to develop the joint capital.The Telugus of the two states should move forward and prove that they are second to none in India, he said.While KCR did not want to talk about the merger,a leader close to him said there is a 90% chance of the merger taking place.However,KCR will take the opinion of all party leaders,majority of whom are of the view that the party should not go for a merger but strike an alliance with the Congress, he said.

One reason why KCR and the other TRS leaders may be hesitating for a merger is because he wants to have the final say on the number of seats his party wants to contest.The Congress wants to take the lions share of the Lok Sabha seats and give the larger chunk of the assembly seats to the TRS.However,the latter wants a big share in the Lok Sabah seats apart from the assembly seats.

KCR                    

 (SOURCE - TOI)     

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:15:00 GMT | By PTI

Andhra Pradesh will be bifurcated and the new state of Telangana will be created, making it the 29th state of the country

 

Reuters

New Delhi: Telangana is all set to become the 29th state of the Indian Union with the Parliament tonight approving a historic bill to carve it out of Andhra Pradesh amid vociferous protests by members from Seemandhra region as also from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena. The suspense over the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 came to an end with BJP backing the government on it despite raising several concerns. Apparently responding to demands from Seemandhra MPs as well as from BJP for "justice" to the region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a six-point development package for successor states of Andhra Pradesh including grant of special category status including tax incentives to Seemandhra.

 

Seemandhra to get special category status, says PM

Congress President Sonia Gandhi's request to the Prime Minister to give a special category status to Seemandhra for five years seems to have apparently clinched the issue and BJP came on board.

"I hope these additional announcements will demonstrate our steadfast commitment to not just the creation of Telangana but also to the continued prosperity and welfare of Seemandhra," Singh noted.

A protective cordon was thrown around Singh as well as Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde by Congress members as members from Seemandhra region as also those from TMC and Shiv Sena stormed the Well with TMC members even tearing papers and throwing them on the floor. CPI-M members walked out in protest.

 

The Telangana struggle: A timeline in pictures

The House looked like a virtual battle-ground during the five-hour proceedings, which saw seven adjournments as members resorted to slogan shouting and tore papers describing the bill passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday as illegal. In fact, when Sushil Kumar Shinde  moved the Bill in the RS, there were three adjournments only in a period of 30 minutes. The debate also saw the government facing an awkward situation when Union Minister Chiranjeevi, who hails from Seemandhra region, opposed the decision on Telangna inviting ridicule from BJP, which wondered whether a member of the Council of Minister can oppose a decision taken by his own government without resigning from it. As the bill appeared set to be a reality with most of the amendments moved by the BJP either negatived or withdrawn, CPI-M and Trinamool Congress alleged "nexus" between the ruling party and the main Opposition.

 

Minister Jairam Ramesh, who was a key person in the Telangana decision process as a member of the GoM on the issue, repeatedly made brief intervention to assuage the concerns of members on diverse issues. Law Minister Kapil Sibal said time has come to create Telangana. "Time has come to take this historic decision...It is very difficult to satisfy all people of both the regions."

 

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien rejected demands for division taking the plea that there was no order in the House.

 

Unlike Lok Sabha, where the bill was passed after a very brief discussion, Rajya Sabha saw a threadbare debate spanning around three hours despite unprecedented protest with anti-Telangana members storming the well with huge placards sometimes even overshadowing the Chair. Similarly, unlike the television black out that was witnessed during the proceedings in Lok Sabha, there was no such "technical glitch" on the Rajya Sabha TV, which telecast the proceedings live. Commotion and high drama continued throughout the proceedings with Congress member K V P Ramchandra Rao staging a sit in into the Well and Trinamool members shouting "tear and throw away".

 

There was no suspension of any member from the House of the Elders today unlike what happened in Lok Sabha, where as many as 16 Seemandhra members belonging to various parties faced action. BJP, which supported the bill also demanded that Seemandhra region got justice and a "defective" legislation was not passed. The principal Opposition party also deplored government for badly handling the passage of the bill without taking the stakeholders on board.

 

"Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are both brothers and are Telugu speaking. Telangana people want Telangana, we are saying yes...We are not dividing the country, we are only dividing a state for speedy development," Naidu said. Naidu blamed Congress for delaying creation of Telangana and playing "vote-bank" and "opportunistic" politics on the issue and said it is the "real culprit" in this whole process. He also sought amendments to give special category status to Seemandhra and adequate financial package to address the revenue loss of the region.

 

Supporting his colleague, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley said, "We are in favour of creation of Telangana. But we want a lawful and legally sustainable bill be passed." "I am deeply disappointed the way the UPA government has done the creation exercise," he said, highlighting expulsion of members in the other House, the state assembly rejecting the proposal and others.

 

Replying to Naidu's concerns regarding the resource gap arising between the notified date and appointed date for creation of Telangana, both Shinde and Ramesh assured him that Government will take care of that and quoted the Prime Minister's statement in this regard.

 

In his statement, the Prime Minister noted that the resource gap arising in the successor state of Andhra Pradesh in the very first year will be compensated in the Regular Union Budget for 2014-15.

This gap may arise during the period between the appointed day and the acceptance of the 14th Finance Commission recommendations by the Government of India.

 

Concerns were also raised during the debate over Polavaram project, which Ramesh sought to explain. Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said, "There is match-fixing between the ruling party and the Opposition" adding that the Chair should not get into such match fixing. Trinamool Congress members kept shouting "Congress-BJP bhai, bhai". Trinamool Congress is concerned about the fall out of the Telangana decision on Gorakhaland issue. The hilly region of West Bengal is seeking separate statehood for long.

 

Similarly in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena has been staunchly opposed to any division of the state, where demands for creation of Vidarbha are raised occasionally. The House had witnessed high drama yesterday with Secretary General Shumsher K Sheriff being heckled by a TDP member who tried to snatch from him papers related to Telangana bill.

 

When the Chair took up the Whistleblowers Bill for consideration, Prakash Javadekar (BJP) went near the podium to demand that the Telengana Bill be brought first, even as V Maitrayan (AIADMK) got into a scuffle with the marshalls demanding a discussion on the Tamil fishermen issue. The Telangana bill was moved for consideration even as a deadlock persisted over it with the government accusing BJP of bringing amendments at the eleventh hour. "We have listed the Telangana bill in Rajya Sabha and we would be attempting to get it passed. The question of amendments at this stage does not arise," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had told reporters earlier.

 

As soon as Kurien, announced taking up Telangana bill after the House met at 2 PM, Seemandhra MPs from Congress and TDP rushed to the Well. They were supported by Derek O'Brien (TMC) and some others, who waved placards saying that bill passed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday was "not Constitutional, not legal, not right".One of the members was seen waving a black flag near the podium. There was a heated exchange between the agitating members and Kurien as the Seemandhra members as well as O'Brien did not allow Jaitely to speak even after the Chair permitted him to do so. Kurien appeared incensed particularly with TDP MP Y S Chowdhary, who kept shouting near the Chair seeking to move an amendment and demanding the opinion of the Attorney General over the Constitutional validity of the bill.

 

The House was adjourned five times between 2 PM to 4.30 PM without any sign of normalcy despite the Chair calling a meeting of leaders of all parties inside the Chamber. "Chairman had called leaders of all parties and there was a general consensus that we should discuss the bill. You can move the amendment but there is a rule and procedure for it. "First let there be a general discussion and then only amendments can be moved," Kurien said but Chowdhary and other agitating members remained unimpressed. "It is illegal. Go back to your seat. I will suspend you. I will take action against you. You are killing democracy," Kurien told Chowdhary as BJP members insisted that there should be order in the House for the discussion to take place.

 

Kurien earlier said that a number of members including Jaitley, O'Brien, Chowdhary and Naresh Agrawal (SP) have given notices opposing the bill on the ground of Constitutional validity. "I will be giving a chance to the LoP to oppose the Bill on its Constitutional validity," he said but later termed the use of word 'oppose' as a "slip of tongue". "I have called the LoP to raise a Constitutional point and not to oppose. I have to correct a slip of tongue," Kurien said.

 

M Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) rued that even ruling party members are disrupting the House and asked the government to create an atmosphere for discussion in the House. He said BJP has been saying all along that it was "in favour of Telangana" but insisted that there should be no injustice to Seemandhra region. Kurien, while criticising the agitating members for their unruly behaviour, said senior members of the House should tell the agitating MPs to go back to their seat. JD(U) MPs were seen protesting against delay in granting special state category to Bihar. Earlier, amid differences over amendments on the crucial Telangana Bill, BJP today stepped up pressure for bringing the bill in the Rajya Sabha which remained paralysed following pandemonium over various issues.

 

Amid din created by members over Telangana, special status for Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal besides the Tamil fishermen and reservation for backward classes issues, Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) demanded that the Telangana bill be taken up for discussion. "Where is the Telangana Bill? Where is it? Where is the government?" he said, amid chants of "Telangana bill lao (bring Telangana bill)" by BJP members. While Kurien sought the views of the House for consideration and passage of the Whistleblower's Bill, BJP insisted that though they were ready for discussion on the bill they wanted the government to first bring the Telangana bill.

 

As uproar in the House continued with members of various parties on their feet and inside the Well, shouting slogans and demanding their issues be taken up first, V Maitreyan (AIADMK) jostled with marshals to reach up to the Chair. Maitreyan was demanding a discussion on Tamil fishermen issue and sought the presence of Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister to answer their queries. As Kurien refused to take up the issue saying he did not speak on the Calling Attention Motion when he was asked to do so, Maitreyan protested and snatched a book kept next to the podium but the marshals took back the book from him. Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice within an hour after it met post-lunch at 2 PM. The House witnessed three adjournments in the pre-lunch sitting.

 

(Source-MSN News)

తెలంగాణ బిల్లుకు లోక్ సభ ఆమోదం

Sakshi | Updated: February 18, 2014 16:35 (IST)

వీడియోకి క్లిక్ చేయండి

న్యూఢిల్లీ: ఎట్టకేలకు ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ రాష్ట్ర పునర్‌వ్యవస్థీకరణ బిల్లు (తెలంగాణ బిల్లు)ను లోక్ సభ ఆమోదించింది. బిల్లును ఆమోదించినట్లు లోక్ సభ స్పీకర్ మీరాకుమార్ ప్రకటించారు. సీమాంధ్ర సభ్యుల గందరగోళం మధ్య మూజువాణి ఓటు ద్వారా ఈ తంతును ముగించారు. రాష్ట్ర విభజనకు సంబంధించిన అత్యంత కీలకమైన ఈ బిల్లుపై సభలో 23 నిమిషాలు మాత్రమే చర్చ జరిగింది. బిజెపి మద్దతుతో సభలో బిల్లుకు ఆమోదం లభించింది. బిల్లు సవరణలపై సభలో  ఓటింగ్ జరుగుతోంది.

బిల్లుపై కేంద్ర మంత్రులు సుశీల్ కుమార్ షిండే, జైపాల్ రెడ్డి, ప్రతిపక్ష బిజెపి నేత సుష్మాస్వరాజ్ మాట్లాడారు. సుష్మాస్వరాజ్ తన ప్రసంగాన్ని తెలుగులో ప్రారంభించారు. బిల్లు ఆమోదించే సమయంలో ప్రధాన మంత్రి మన్మోహన్ సింగ్, యుపిఏ చైర్ పర్స్ సోనియా గాంధీ సభలోనే ఉన్నారు.

తెలంగాణ బిల్లును తొలుత హొం మంత్రి షిండే సభలో ప్రవేశపెట్టారు. సీమాంధ్రకు ప్రత్యేక ఆర్థిక ప్యాకేజీ ఇస్తామని ప్రకటించారు. ఆ తరువాత  ప్రతిపక్షనేతగా సుష్మాస్వరాజ్  బిల్లుపై మాట్లాడారు. ఆమె పది నిమిషాలసేపు మాత్రమే మాట్లాడారు. ఆ తరువాత జైపాల్ రెడ్డి మాట్లాడారు. అనంతరం మూజువాణి ఓటుతో బిల్లుకు ఆమోదం తెలిపారు. బీజేపీ మద్దతు లభించడంతో బిల్లు ఆమోదం పొందడం సులువైపోయింది. విపక్షాల నిరసనలను పట్టించుకోకుండానే బిల్లుకు ఆమోద ముద్ర వేశారు. బిల్లుపై కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ 37 సవరణలు, బిజెపి 33 సవరణలు సూచించాయి.

 తొలుత సీమాంధ్ర ఎంపీల లోక్ సభ వెల్ లోకి వెళ్లి ఆందోళన చేశారు. సిపిఎం, శివసేన, బిజెడి ఎంపీలు కూడా వెల్లోకి దూసుకెళ్లారు. పెద్దసంఖ్యలో సభలోకి మార్షల్స్ ప్రవేశించారు. లోక్‌సభ గ్యాలరీలు, ద్వారాలు మూసివేశారు.  లోక్ సభలో బిల్లు ఆమోదించే ముందు వ్యూహాత్మకంగా లోక్ సభ ఛానల్ ప్రసారాలను నిలిపివేశారు. స్పీకర్ మీరాకుమార్ దేశాల మేరకే ప్రసారాలు నిలిపివేశారు.  సవరణలు జరుగుతుండగానే సోనియా సభ నుంచి వెళ్లి వాకౌట్ చేశారు.

రేపు లేక ఎల్లుండ ఈ బిల్లును రాజ్యసభలో ప్రవేశపెడతారు. రాజ్యసభలో ఆమోదం పొందడం లాంఛనమేనని కాంగ్రెస్ నేతలు చెబుతున్నారు.

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Cabinet clears T Bill,to take RS route - Spl Packages For R'eema,North Coastal AP

 
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi leaves the PMs residence after a meeting on Telangana on Friday 

The Union cabinet on Friday evening cleared the Telangana Bill,which will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on February 12. The UPA government has proposed 32 amendments to the draft Telangana Bill but it was decided that Hyderabad will not be made a Union Territory as was demanded by the Seemandhra lobby.The 294-page Bill has been sent to President Pranab Mukherjee and after his clearance will be introduced in Parliament.By placing the Bill in he Rajya Sabha,the government wants to make sure that it does not lapse.A Bill placed in the Lok Sabha will lapse the moment the House is dissolved.The term of the Lok Sabha is coming to an end in a few weeks.

Sources privy to the developments revealed that the cabinet was favorably inclined to announce special financial packages to the Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra regions.A high-powered committee will finalise the new capital for residuary Andhra Pradesh and the cabinet is learnt to have agreed to relax forest laws to acquire land for the new capital wherever it is located.According to the sources,the Bill has to be vetted by the law ministry after it is returned by the President and hence,the decision to table the Bill in Parliament on February 12.It will also give us time to prepare detailed notes for the 32 amendments,including the powers of the governor of Telangana,who will be positioned in the joint capital of Hyderabad, said a source.

Apparently,the BJP has given its consent to the amendments proposed by the Union cabinet to the Bill and has also offered a few of its own.Union minister Jairam Ramesh has already held one round of talks with BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu and,before the cabinet meeting on Friday,a second round was held between Venkaiah Naidu and Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Digvijay Singh.A third round of talks will be held between Ramesh and the BJP leader on Saturday.The amendments proposed by the BJP,which basically refer to the interests of the Seemandhra region,are understood to have been agreed to be incorporated in the Bill by the Congress.

After the Cabinet cleared Telangana Bill,the BJP said it would support the Bill in Parliament as it has not changed its stand on the new states formation.There is no change in our stand or policies with regard to Telangana formation.We are a national party and the stand of our national leadership on the issue is one, said BJP state leader Kishan Reddy in Delhi.

The cabinet meeting held at the Prime Ministers residence lasted for more than two hours and immediately after that,the Congress core committee met.The cabinet meeting saw heated exchanges between the Seemandhra ministers and Telangana minister S Jaipal Reddy when the former insisted on UT status for Hyderabad.In the end,the cabinet decided to drop the idea and stuck to retaining Hyderabad as the joint capital as envisaged in the draft Bill.The Rayala-Telangana move also found no takers.

The cabinet is also said to have cleared the proposal to grant financial packages for Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra for which the 14th Finance Commission will work out special grants.

UNTANGLING 

Centre has proposed 32 amendments to T Bill;Hyderabad will not be made Union Territory. The 294-page Bill after Presidents clearance to be introduced in Rajya Sabha on Feb.12.

 

High-powered committee to finalise new capital for residuary AP 

BJP has given its consent to the amendments proposed by the cabinet and has also offered a few of its own 

Cabinet decided to shift 86 villages in Khammam district that will be submerged by Polavaram dam to Godavari districts

86 T villages to become part of Seemandhra 

New Delhi: It was also agreed to make available a special grant for the construction of the new capital in residuary Andhra Pradesh provided by the Government of India.

The cabinet also decided to shift 86 villages in Telanganas Khammam district,which will be submerged by the Polavaram dam,to East and West Godavari districts in the Seemandhra region so that no inter-state disputes come in the way of the project.However,the temple town of Bhadrachalam will remain in Telangana.At the Cabinet meeting,NCP chief and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar,who had earlier made a strong pitch for Telangana,questioned whether the law and order powers being given to governor are according to the Constitution.Although he endorsed the Bill,he wanted to know what is being done for the new capital of Seemandhra.He was told that all the cost will be taken care of by the Centre.

The Congress core committee that met after the cabinet is said to have authorized Ahmed Patel and Jairam Ramesh to continue further consultations with BJP leaders.In an embarrassment to chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy,which could also hasten his exit,the cabinet decided to place the same draft bill in Parliament and add the amendments separately.Kiran had earlier announced that he would quit politics if the UPA government tables the Telangana Bill in its existing form.

(Source-toi)

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